Mini Corn Dogs (Ebelskiver/Aebelskiver Corn Dogs)-- for Super Bowl

 

Tomorrow is Super Bowl XLVII, which equates to a perfectly good reason to make all kinds of finger foods. Fat grams and calories aren't much of a factor, and plenty of beer seems to be an essential part of watching good ole American football. I admit, that football is not something I'm passionate about.  My parents never were, so we never really watched it.  Other than knowing a few basics -- like "what's a touchdown" or a "field goal", I can't quite decipher all the different rules and plays, the way that my men are capable of doing. They yell at the referees, and jump up and down-- while I wait to see what the commercials will be-- and maybe I'll watch the  half time show, depending on who it is.


My son has always been a Falcon's fan (he's never been to Georgia) and my husband is pretty neutral.  Because we live so close to San Francisco, it seems only right that we support the 49'er fans.  Even I found myself nervously watching the last few minutes of the playoffs.  Alas, the  '9'ers aren't in this year's Super Bowl. For that reason, I doubt that we'll all be glued to the game-- but who knows?

Three hours (or more) of watching football fans glued to the television, seems to make them both hungry and thirsty.  Somehow, Quiche Lorraine or tea and finger sandwiches doesn't sound like Super Bowl Food.  Traditionally, I always make a big pot of Chile Con Carne.  Of course, guacamole and chips is a "must", don't you think?

My husband was really surprised to find out that I love corn dogs, though it's not very often that I eat them. Yep, I do love them. But, not just any corn dog. I really don't care for the frozen ones.  What I appreciate is a freshly made corn dog dipped in yellow mustard. So does my son.  There's a chain of "Hot Dogs on a Stick" and we used to go to one, when he was a little kid.   I was struggling with finances, as a newly divorced mom, but every so often I would treat us to one of their special corn dogs. We could hardly wait for our  turkey dogs to be dipped into a vat of hot oil, until golden brown. I'd order one of their freshly made glasses of lemonade, and it would a special mother/son bonding moment. Great memories. 

I've owned an Ebelskiver pan for a few years-- and I keep forgetting to use it. Ebelskivers (or Abelskivers) are Danish round "pancakes" that are traditionally filled with jam.  King Arthur flour posted a recipe for Mini Corn Dogs, using their electric stuffed pancake maker.   I became obsessed with making these, and I figured it would be perfect for watching the Big Game.

I adapted their recipe, changing the sausage and onion filling to using up some Hebrew National Hot Dogs that we had on hand.

The dry ingredients are: unbleached flour (King Arthur, of course), corn meal, baking powder, salt and sugar.  (Southerners are probably having a conniption fit over this, but I love sweet corn bread. I'm a Northerner.)

For the wet ingredients, I used whole milk, one egg, vegetable oil and melted (and cooled) unsalted butter.  It's all quickly whisked together.

The Ebelskiver pan is heated on medium heat, and I brushed each well with a little melted butter.

I love these cookie scoops (I have them in three sizes). I chose the smaller size to easily scoop about a tablespoon of corn batter into each well.

I wondered if I should have cooked the hot dogs, first, but I decided to just insert room-temperature slices on top of each well of batter.

I scooped another generous tablespoon on top, and allowed them to cook for 3-4 minutes.

Flipping them over takes a little practice. I found that using two wooden skewers worked best. I would slide them down at opposite ends, then start pushing them until they began to flip over.  Wiping the skewers, with a paper towel, helped to avoid having all over them-- and I could also insert the skewer to see if they were cooked through.

I'd say that each batch took about 7-8 minutes to make.

I kept them warm, by placing them, in the oven,  on a baking rack, fitted on top of a baking sheet on WARM.

I was excited to summon my son into the kitchen.  His eyes grew large, and he dunked one into yellow mustard.

TASTING NOTES:  Mom and son loved these!  The cornbread was tender, with exactly the right about of sweetness-- just like the Hot Dog on a Stick makes them.  Best of all, these weren't deep-fried.  If I had turkey dogs, I would have easily substituted the all-beef for the lighter version.   I got 27 mini corn dogs.

They are all gone, divided by three. Only, I gave the men a share of my portion.

I realize that most of you don't have an Ebelskiver pan, and you might be wondering what else you could use?  Could this recipe be adapted for a muffin pan? I don't know? Perhaps. I would guess you'd have to bake them, and I don't know for how long.

 

When I look back at one of the very first recipe posts on my blog, it's for Cherry-Filled Ebelskivers. Oh my, what an awful photo! No wonder I don't have many comments!  Now that I've gotten the hang of making these, I have all kinds of ideas on both breakfast, and savory, recipes that I'd like to make.

I'd better go soak some pinto beans, to make Chile con Carne.  I'm still trying to decide what kind of dessert to make.  Last year's Milk Way Brownie Bites were a big hit, but I'm thinking of a new variation. Men sure love chocolate brownies, don't they?

So, all you Seahawks and Broncos fans-- enjoy your day!  We'll be enjoying good eats.

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